Heart Disease Health Center

Tools & Resources

Catecholamines in Urine

Guide

A test for catecholamines measures the
amount of the
hormonesepinephrine, norepinephrine, metanephrine, and dopamine
in the urine. These catecholamines are made by
nerve tissue, the brain, and the
adrenal glands. Catecholamines help the body respond
to stress or fright and prepare the body for "fight-or-flight"
reactions.

The
adrenal glands make large amounts of catecholamines as a reaction to stress. The
main catecholamines are epinephrine (adrenaline), norepinephrine
(noradrenaline), and dopamine. They break down into vanillylmandelic acid (VMA), metanephrine, and normetanephrine, which are passed in the urine. The amounts of VMA, metanephrine, and normetanephrine also are usually measured during a catecholamine test.

Catecholamines
increase heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, muscle strength, and
mental alertness. They also lower the amount of blood going to the skin and intestines and
increase blood going to the major organs, such as the brain, heart, and
kidneys.

Certain rare tumors (such as a
pheochromocytoma) can increase the amount of
catecholamines in the blood and urine. The increased amount can cause high
blood pressure, excessive sweating, headaches, fast heartbeats (palpitations),
and tremors.

Why It Is Done

A
catecholamine test is done to help diagnose a tumor in
the adrenal glands called a pheochromocytoma.

How To Prepare

You may be asked to avoid the following
foods and fluids for 2 to 3 days before having this test:

Be sure to keep warm during the 24-hour urine test
because being cold can increase your catecholamine levels.

Drink
plenty of fluids during the 24-hour time period to avoid
dehydration.

Many medicines may change
the results of this test. Be sure to tell your doctor about all the
nonprescription and prescription medicines you take.

Your doctor may ask you to stop certain medicines, such as blood
pressure medicines, before the test. Do not take cold or allergy remedies,
including aspirin, or nonprescription diet pills for 2 weeks before the
test.

Talk to your doctor about any concerns you have regarding
the need for the test, its risks, how it will be done, or what the results will
mean. To help you understand the importance of this test, fill out the
medical test information form(What is a PDF document?).